A long-exposure photo taken Dec. 14, 2018 captured a meteor streaking over Myanmar during the Geminids meteor shower.
Turn your eyes to the sky tonight for the peak of the annual Geminids. These bright yellow streaks appear every December and, at peak, NASA estimates rates can reach about 120 meteors per hour. Observers in the Northern Hemisphere typically get the best views, though the shower is visible from the Southern Hemisphere as well.
Unlike most meteor showers, which come from comet debris, the Geminids originate from asteroid 3200 Phaethon, a roughly 3.17-mile-wide object that scientists are still studying. Asteroids are generally rocky or metallic and usually reside in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter; comets are composed largely of ice and grow tails when heated. Phaethon may be a “dead comet” or a different type of body sometimes called a “rock comet.”
If you plan to watch, go outside and lie on your back with your feet pointed south. After about 30 minutes in the dark your eyes will adapt and you should start to see Geminid meteors; the display can continue into the night and until dawn.